Sign Painting: Brush Lettering and Pro Layout
with
John Downer
Commercial brush lettering styles are integral to the professional appearance of a painted sign. Such styles have often served as inspiration for display typefaces used by graphic designers, and sign makers alike. The warmth and charm of brush-made letterforms have ubiquitous appeal for a wide range of applications.
Through weekly brush lettering demonstrations and instructional lectures, students will be taught the basics of brush lettering and layout. Students will practice exercises and work on projects designed to build skills and to develop an eye for letter anatomy, proportions, and details. Classes will be held online. Therefore, students will be expected to set up an appropriate work space to participate. (see materials list). Letterform model sheets and traditional layout exemplars will be shared as pdfs throughout the course as reference for practice. These will be useful as digital files on screen or as printed material. Individual and group commentary will provide valuable feedback for each student to progress according to ability.
The styles to be taught are Block, Half Block, Thick and Thin, and Speed Stroke Casual. Each of these styles has its own separate set of structural rules. In addition, basic principles of layout will be addressed. Students will learn how to use a flat ferrule lettering brush with tempera paint to form a set of foundation strokes, and then to construct characters from the component strokes.
The main objective is for participants to acquire a depth of familiarity with the conventional styles of 20th-century sign letters, and to learn to make and use them as they were meant to be used graphically. No prior lettering experience is necessary, but typography and graphic design experience would be helpful. Knowledge of commercial fonts is also a bonus. Beginners are welcome. The instructor will work to provide useful challenges and projects, tailored to the experience levels of lettering artists who join. Feedback will also be given.
About John Downer
Mr. Downer is a sign painter, a typeface designer, and an educator. He has written about type and type history for various publications and is widely known as a perceptive type critic. His typefaces have been published by Bitstream, Font Bureau, Emigre, House Industries, and Design Lab. Among his most popular type designs are Iowan Old Style (on Apple Books and iOS 7+), Roxy, Ironmonger, and the ubiquitous food and beverage branding favorite, Brothers.
A native of the Pacific Northwest, a region of the US with a rich history of sign painting and hand-lettering, Mr. Downer was first introduced to commercial pen & brush lettering in the 1960s in junior high school. He began an apprenticeship in a sign painting shop at age 18. He holds BA, MA, and MFA degrees in art.
Mr. Downer has been a journeyman sign painter since 1973, a freelance typeface designer since 1983, and a crusader for designers’ rights his entire adult life. He began teaching lettering at the university level in 1972, making him one of the most experienced American educators in the fields of lettering and typeface design. He’s been teaching in the Type@Cooper program at The Cooper Union since its founding in 2010. He established the Sign Painting Support Group on Facebook as a platform to educate and guide serious enthusiasts and professionals in the principles of letter construction and the tricks of the trade.